Our vision is that one day cervical cancer will be a thing of the past. Sometimes, it can feel as though that day is a long way down a winding, twisty road. But today it feels much closer. 

One of the big news stories today is about YouScreen: a HPV self-sampling study launching in parts of North and East London. 

Today we’re launching a new resource in partnership with the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology to provide information and support around LLETZ treatment.

Accessing cervical screening can be difficult for many people. This can be exacerbated for trans men and/or non-binary people with a cervix who face many barriers to accessing routine cervical screening, as well as discrimination because of their gender identity.

If you experience bleeding after your cervical screening (smear test), we know that it can be alarming, especially if it’s your first test. But try not to panic – it’s fairly common, and many causes of bleeding are not likely to create future problems. It’s important to say, first of all, that if you are worried about it, or you feel that it’s a large amount of blood, it’s always best to speak to your nurse or doctor. 

One common question we are asked is what to expect when going for cervical screening at the moment. We’ve spoken with Jenny, Debra and Tracey who are all nurses about what their GP practice is doing, to give you an idea of the measures that you could see and help you to prepare any questions.

“What do I do right now if I’m having symptoms? Can I still see my GP? Am I wasting their time?”

A lot has changed due to the coronavirus crisis, but some things stay the same - this includes your GP’s role. They’re your first point of contact for anything that is concerning you. You might have to contact them in a different way, with lots of appointments being carried out on video or the phone, but the outcome should be the same.

How would you react if you were told you had HPV? Would you be afraid? Upset? Or simply a bit unsure of what it meant? 

Whatever your reaction, you are far from alone. Worried, upset, scared and embarrassed are just some of the words which high numbers of women used to describe HPV in new research by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

This blog talks about cervical screening (smear tests) after the menopause, whether natural or triggered by treatment for cervical cancer.

If you’ve had cervical cancer treatment and are currently going through the menopause or are post-menopausal, you may be having a different kind of test known as a vault smear. This blog post may be useful for you, but you may also need further support from your healthcare team.

It’s back-to-school time and that means thousands of children, both boys and girls (perhaps your own children) may be offered the HPV vaccine at school. You may have seen that the vaccine has been hitting the news recently and you probably have lots of questions about it. This blog can help!